Five papers are duking it out in the 128,000-population Northern Colorado town, and two of them have an alt-weekly pedigree, Westword reports. The Rocky Mountain Chronicle debuted in October, arising from the ashes of former AAN member Rocky Mountain Bullhorn, and the mostly direct-mailed Fort Collins Weekly launched in early 2003, with Boulder Weekly alum Greg Campbell and Joel Dyer at the helm. The other three are faux-alts, including one owned by Gannett's Coloradan, which Campbell calls "one of the weakest, worst daily newspapers I've ever come across." Chronicle Editor Vanessa Martinez (pictured) predicts they won't all survive. "I think some of them are going to fall by the wayside," she says.
Bullhorn Publisher Joseph Rouse announced yesterday that the newspaper's Feb. 2 issue had been its last, according to the Coloradoan. Rouse said negotiations to merge with another alt-weekly had been underway but ended abruptly on Wednesday. The Bullhorn was founded as a monthly in 2000 by Rouse and former editor Vanessa Martinez, then both 22. The newspaper was relaunched with a weekly format in 2003 and was awarded AAN membership in 2004.
